Using the Olympics as an Excuse, Officials Arrest Two 70-Year-Old Ladies in Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province

With the excuse of "preparing for the Olympics," two Falun Gong practitioners in their 70s were taken to a brainwashing centre in March 2008 by police officers in Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province.

Around March 10th, 2008, Ms. Zhao Jiabi, 70, retired from the Xi'an City Fifth Police Department, was arrested at home and taken to the Xi'an City Brainwashing Centre at Chang'an District.

Since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started to persecute Falun Gong, Ms. Zhao has been arrested, detained, and sentenced to prison for steadfastly believing in Falun Gong and for speaking out for justice. When she was at the Shaanxi Province Women's Forced Labour Camp, she was handcuffed and locked in a dark, wet cell for a month. Every day the guards ordered the prisoners to beat her.

On January 10th, 2008, six to seven police officers from the Xi'an City Baishulin Station went into Ms. Zhao's house and took away many Falun Gong books. In addition, they extorted 10,000 yuan¹ in cash that Ms. Zhao used for her daily living expenses.

Ms. Liu Jing, 75, was a doctor at Xidian University Hospital before retirement and lives in the Renjiazhuang Community of Xi'an City. On her way home on the afternoon of March 17th, 2008, she was arrested and taken to the Xi'an City Chang'an District Brainwashing Centre, where she was tortured.

Before Ms. Liu practised Falun Gong, she had skin cancer and coronary heart disease. She suffered a great deal and went to all kinds of doctors and hospitals, but did not recover. After she started practising Falun Gong, she became healthy and it was like a miracle. Although the CCP began to persecute Falun Gong, Ms. Liu steadfastly believed in Falun Gong. She was then arrested, detained, and watched by CCP officers in Xi'an City. At present, the CCP is conducting a new round of persecution of Falun Gong practitioners all over the country, using "the Olympics" as their excuse. Because of this, practitioners are being arrested and detained.

Main personnel involved in the persecution:
Xing Hongfeng (male), the Beilin District CCP Political and Judiciary Committee Secretary: 86-29-85350355 (Office), 86-29-87432598 (Home), 86-86-13809195920 (Mobile)
Xu Wanchun (male), the chief of Xi'an City 610 Office: 86-29-87264011 (Office), 86-29-84396073 (Home), 86-13700291931 (Mobile)

Note

1. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2008/5/2/177676.html